We’re officially just two weeks away from the 2026 NFL Draft.
In a lot of ways, we’re in the golden era of Detroit Lions drafts. Despite his two most recent drafts yet to bear a ton of fruit, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has rightfully earned a reputation as being an impressively good college scouter. Decades within the Los Angeles Rams organization have clearly led to Holmes’ skills in both identifying talent and manipulating his draft equity into the right opportunities to add game-changing
talent.
But let’s widen our scope of the Lions’ long draft history. Today’s Question of the Day is:
Who was the Lions’ best first-round pick in team history?
My answer: All the obvious answers jump right to the front of the line. Barry Sanders was selected third overall in the 1989 NFL Draft. Calvin Johnson was selected second overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. Hell, maybe even Matthew Stafford first overall in the 2009 draft.
But context matters a little here. Obviously, a Hall of Fame player is a good pick. But an outstanding pick is one that gives you incredible value when the choice is difficult. The 1989 NFL Draft produced four Hall of Famers in the first five picks, so the Lions almost couldn’t have gone wrong with their pick. Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders went right after Barry. Right after Calvin Johnson, the Browns took Hall of Famer Joe Thomas.
Meanwhile, the 2009 draft almost certainly didn’t produce a single top-10 Hall of Famer unless Stafford makes his way there. In fact, there may not be a single Hall of Famer in the entire class. The other best names from that class include Clay Matthews, Julian Edelman, T.J. Lang, LeSean McCoy, and Brian Cushing. Getting Stafford out of that group may be the best pick.
But don’t forget this era, either. Penei Sewell may be the best Lions pick outside the top five. Amon-Ra St. Brown—while not a first-round pick—may be considered their best Day 3 pick of all time.
Who do you think was the Lions’ best first-round pick of all time? Do we need to go even further back in history?
Share your thoughts in the comment section.
